It’s very rare for a State Attorney General to make a personal appearance at a trial, but on Tuesday, Texas AG Greg Abbot showed up at the prosecutor’s table during the Eldorado trial of a polygamist group member. Abbot was there for jury selection in the case against Allan Keate, the 57 year-old man who could face up to life in prison if he’s convicted of sexual assault of a child for what he has termed a “spiritual marriage” to a 15 year-old. The young girl was 16 when she became pregnant by Keate, but Texas law states that, at 16, she was too young to legally consent to having sex. Last year, Texas authorities raided the ranch of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS), a polygamist group in Schleicher County. (FLDS should not be confused with the Mormon Church, which renounced polygamy over a century ago.)

     Keate is the second member of the group to face criminal charges. Last month, a jury convicted Raymond Jessop of sexual assault of a child and he was sentenced to 10 years in prison. The raid on the compound resulted in 439 children placed in state custody, all of whom were later returned to their mothers or other relatives. However, church records seized from the ranch were instrumental in bringing criminal cases against some of the men in the sect. Eleven were indicted on felony charges, including sexual assault and bigamy. In addition, the sect's doctor faces misdemeanor charges for failure to report child abuse. Those records also indicated that as of March 2007, Allan Keate had 6 wives, ranging in age from 17 to 49. Major kudos to the AG for taking such a personal interest in these egregious cases of child abuse and polygamy, and the matrimonial masquerade they use to disguise it.